


in silence to these songs

by pineovercoat



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Dialogue Light, Fairy Tale Curses, Flash Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22887595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineovercoat/pseuds/pineovercoat
Summary: He says it like it's the only thing that's ever mattered.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	in silence to these songs

Sora hits the ground hard, landing soundly on his back. It’s been long enough now that he doesn’t cry out, disciplined enough not to be wasteful- not that _that_ hadn’t taken a decent amount of work.

Above him, Riku dismisses his keyblade. "You hit like a duck," he says archly, lifting his chin in quite the impressive display of arrogance.

Of all the-

Talk about wasteful. The first time he’s spoken all day, and Sora has no idea what he’s talking about. Figures. He can’t even begin to guess at what goes on in Riku’s head some days. First off, Donald packs a punch. Second--

"Really, Riku?" he huffs, dusting the floor off his t-shirt, then making a grab for Riku's proffered hand. " _That’s_ how you're spending them?"

He shrugs, pulling him up with the motion. There’s a smile lingering on the corner of his lips, and it’s dangerous, reckless, and exciting, like any bad idea worth its salt. "No better way." 

That makes five. He's got six left himself now, if that, and there are _definitely_ better ways. Rolling his eyes, he smacks Riku's wrist- the right one, and carefully. He lets that be admonishment enough. The last thing he wants to do is startle him into crying out something that could count against him. 

Riku's eyes soften, knowing. His smile does, too, fond like the last time his control had cracked and he’d blown through his meticulously rationed store in one go, on the very words he used to hold close to his chest ( _I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I_ -) before the choice to take his sweet time getting around to saying them had been stolen from him. From both of them.

"If it's on you," Riku clarifies, stepping close to cradle his cheek, and Sora's throat tightens with the anticipation of his next move. One left-- "Sora." 

He says it like it's the only thing that's ever mattered. It’s a blow to the chest every time. Thirteen words- that's all they get in a day. The rest break down into painful, unintelligible noise. When they had as many as they wanted, they never knew what to do with them. And now- now that they _hurt_ -

That’s the cruelest part of it. Sora knows exactly how he’d use a wealth of them now.

Their hearts still speak. They’ve found other ways. But one day, when they break this curse, he’ll say every word he couldn’t. He’ll use all his breath on Riku’s name alone, until his voice gives out, and then, he’ll keep going. 

Until then, what he has is this. And he'll need time to think of a way to out-do him. He lays a hand over Riku's, giving himself fully over to his touch, and smiles. 

"Just you wait until tomorrow, jerk."

**Author's Note:**

> this weird little AU spun from a challenge to do limited dialogue issued by big meanie parkadescandal. would it rly be KH fic if said limit wasn't thirteen for Reasons? also if I counted wrong I don't want to know, ever,,

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [the sun resides inside me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23032240) by [llien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/llien/pseuds/llien)




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